While The Last Breath is far from subversive, young divers trapped in a shipwreck surrounded by hungry great whites make for a solid and entertaining shark flick.
Director: Joachim Hedén
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Run Time: 92′
US Release: July 26, 2024 in theaters & VOD
UK & IE Release: out now on digital
I was unfamiliar with Joachim Hedén’s work prior to watching The Last Breath. A quick background search shows that he’s back in the director’s chair for his first feature length effort since writing and directing 2020’s Breaking Surface, a film about divers trapped underwater. Between Breaking Surface and The Last Breath, he also co-wrote 2023’s The Dive, a film about divers trapped underwater.
Given the man’s pedigree in working on films about divers trapped underwater, I was certainly keen to see how he would approach this particular film about divers trapped underwater. After giving it a watch, I can comfortably say that, while The Last Breath is far from subversive, it knows what it wants to do, and is ultimately a fun ride.
The Last Breath follows a group of old college friends and diving enthusiasts (Jack Parr, Kim Spearman, Alexander Arnold, Erin Mullen, Arlo Carter) who, aided by sea captain Levi (the late Julian Sands), explore the remains of a sunken WWII battleship, only to be trapped inside by a group of hungry sharks.
Where The Last Breath shines brightest is in its excellent underwater cinematography and lighting. Even just the ocean floor itself looks great through its use of wide shots and contrasting color pallets. But it also maintains the feeling of danger as you’re not able to see too far into the background, and are never quite able to see if any danger is approaching until it is far too late. The lighting and camera continue to work well together inside the wrecked ship. By mixing closeups with silhouettes and sparse natural light, you get a strong sense of the claustrophobia and eerie isolation in the shipwreck. The cinematography also captures feelings of disorientation without resorting to shaky cam, which always earns a few extra points with me!
While we’re on the subject of the film’s visual element, the physical sets look excellent! The set team does a nice job of making the wreck’s interior both a liminal space that once was lived in, and a spooky labyrinth of horrors filled with danger. The makeup team also deserves a nod, as there are a few sequences where the prosthetics depicting shark injuries are suitably gruesome, staying consistent with the realistic and grungy aesthetics in the interior set design.
Not all of the visuals, however, meet this same standard. I’m inclined to be nice here, since the production was clearly working on a budget, and the vfx team was working within their means, but the quality of the cgi used doesn’t match the quality of the other visual elements. Parts of the ship’s exterior are clearly computer generated, which can be a jarring contrast to how realistic the ship’s interior looks. And on that note, the sharks also look like they’re clearly cgi.
It’s a shame, because the film does a good job of foreshadowing the sharks and not using them too much, making the audience imagine the danger for themselves. But when a shark is revealed, because it clearly doesn’t look real, it can easily deflate a lot of tension so effectively built by the rest of the film. If The Last Breath were going for a campier tone akin to The Meg or Sharknado, then it wouldn’t be an issue, because the fake look would add to the silliness. But The Last Breath doesn’t seem to be going for a silly tone, so the cgi definitely has strong potential to pull you out of the film.
Then there’s The Last Breath’s writing, which is definitely a mixed bag. On one hand, it doesn’t do much to differentiate itself from other horror and/or shark films. The characters all closely follow archetypes that you’ve definitely seen before: there’s the rich preppy guy from every 80s teen movie, there’s the goofy stoner from every 90s teen movie, there’s the grizzled sea captain, the free-spirited protagonist with a heart of gold, the nurturing woman, and a second woman. The actors uniformly do well with the material they’re given, but the dialogue and the plot both cover very well-trod ground (quick head count: how many films can you name where a character says “we have to work together to get out of here”?)
On the other hand, while The Last Breath doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, there’s something to be said about executing a simple idea well. The film is very well-paced, and once the crew are under the water, you rarely get a chance to catch your breath as stakes are raised and ticking clocks are added. For example, the best scene in the whole movie is when one of the characters has to perform underwater surgery on another character’s leg while the group’s air tanks are depleting and a hungry shark is trying to enter the room. Joachim Hedén’s direction shines here, showcasing his skill at building suspense and tension, and elevating the film’s writing.
While there may not be many surprises to had, The Last Breath nonetheless delivers on its promise for both thrills and sharks. There is enough excitement here, combined with the film’s excellent pacing and raising of stakes, to keep you engaged. If you’re looking for a, by and large, solid and well-executed shark flick, then I’d say you should give this a try!
The Last Breath will be released in US theaters and everywhere you rent movies on July 26, 2024. In the UK & Ireland and more countries, the film is out now on digital, VOD & Blu-Ray.
